Frequently Asked Questions

There’s questions we are asked on a regular basis, so we thought we’d upload them here and we’ll update them regularly.

Why are you registered with HMRC but not the charities commission?

The short and simple answer is that we need to have reached £5000 before we can register with the charities commission. Charities that have raised less than £5000 register with HMRC as a charitable company. This allows us to claim back gift aid, register with Just Giving etc. Once we get closer to the requirements we will of course go on and register with the charities commission. Soon as this is complete we will display that code on our website too.

Why is there no phone number published for your charity?

The Fibroduck Foundation is run by patients and as such we suffer the same health problems as everyone else. Part of that is having severe memory problems, so we don't feel comfortable using the telephone and it's much easier for us to work in writing. There are many ways to contact us, either via our PO box address, by email, Facebook or Twitter, one of the team will always pick up your message. We reply to every email so if you do not see a reply, please check your spam/junk folders. You can always add our email address to your contacts list to ensure our mail is not blocked. fibroduckfoundation@gmail.com

What happens if your research becomes outdated before you raise the required money?

We would simply move on to another research trial. There's no shortage of research options open to us, it's simply a lack of funding stopping them from happening right now.

Do you give receipts for donations?

Yes, If a donation is made via paypal or just giving then they will automatically give you a receipt for your donation. Upon request we are happy to provide additional receipts on Fibroduck Foundation headed paper. For donations made via cheque or direct to our account we do issue a receipt to the donator. For groups that fundraise together we issue receipts and a thank you poster for their group.

I see you have set up various schemes that earn a donation to the charity, how do these work?

The simplistic answer is that each time you shop with the listed retailers, a sale will trigger a donation to us, always at NO extra cost to you. We only ever promote services or products that could be of real benefit to our members. We never allow Quack cures and anything we recommend has been researched by us.

Do you take any money from the charity or its schemes?

We never take any money as any form of payment, and we only deduct the minimum possible direct expenses from whatever activities we've undertaken. For example, we deduct the direct cost of things like collection buckets, or the cost of posting kits to groups who fundraise for us, but we don't claim back our petrol or any food we might eat while out doing collections. We fund raise simply because, like you, we desperately want to get better. We don't do it to get paid or for any personal benefit.

Why do you use a po box address?

This is standard practice for any charity, for us it protects our home addresses and privacy.

How come your accounts show large stock purchases, when you are a small charity?

We buy all our shop stock in bulk which means a big outlay to begin with. Buying in bulk means we can keep the prices down without compromising on quality. Our shop brings in a steady flow which helps boost our funds for research.On average we have to restock our shop every two or three years. Some purchases also cover costs for things like charity collection buckets, high vis vests, special street collection t-shirts, all of which are the legal requirement when running public events.